Tenants thankful to be safe after house fire destroys duplex in Fort Smith, N.W.T.

Nearby construction may have saved Donna Bourque's life. 

Bourque lost her home in a fire Saturday at the Garden City housing co-op. 

Weeks ago, she said, there was construction on the road behind her home. Usually she'd sit outside in the morning with a cup of coffee, but because of the noisy construction she found a new place to relax. 

On Saturday morning, she drove out to her newfound area of peace and quiet near the airport. 

A few hours later, she came back to flames and smoke pouring out of her home. 

"I walked out at 10 o'clock and locked the door, and I know I'll never go back into it," she said. 

Bourque has mobility issues. Had she still been home, she says she likely would not have made it out in time. 

"I wouldn't have been able to get down the stairs," she said. 

"The bathroom where the fire started in the other unit. Our bathrooms are like touching, a wall is between them. That's where the fire started." 

Harold and Albertine Gambler were renting the other unit. 

Theron Karnes, Bourque's neighbour, was in his backyard when he saw a big cloud of smoke coming from the nearby duplex. He remembered Bourque struggled to get around. 

"So I just ran right over and made sure no one was in the house because I know Donna can't move that well," he said. 

"I kicked the door in and I went upstairs, and by the time I got upstairs, the hallway was full of smoke. Then I said, 'I'm getting out of here, I'm not spending anymore time in there.'" 

He went back outside, grabbed a garden hose and started spraying trees near the property to try and prevent them from catching fire.